We’re really excited about the new BMW F800GS. Weighing just 174kg dry and making 85bhp through a punchy 800cc parallel-twin, it’s both light enough to actually go off-road (BMW designed it to be as effective as the HP2 Enduro) and fast enough to be good on it. It also packs some seriously clever design solutions, foremost of which is the tubular steel trellis frame. >

First, the frame is pinched just aft of the headstock, allowing spacefor the forks to rotate through an impressive 42° of steering lockwhile maintaining the necessary strength and stiffness for goodhandling. Conventional designs travel straight ahead, restricting thedegree to which the forks can rotate, and thusly your low-speed,off-road maneuverability.

The GS’s frame also contains all critical components within itsprotective embrace. In a low- to medium-speed crash, such as you’reinevitably going to have if you take it to the dirt, you’ll only damagecosmetic parts, allowing you to keep going. The radiator is alsoattached to the frame on flexible mountings, meaning the shock ofcrashing shouldn’t damage the water-cooling. Especially handy if yourBMW dealer is an ocean or two away.